TAhhhos, New Mexico and the Enchanted Quarter-circle

Santa Fe: I AM REALLY GLITTERY! LOOK AT ME! I SPARKLE!

Taos: Dude. You look awesome. Have a decaf.

Taos has a vibe, for sure. It's a destination that doesn't take itself so seriously. You can still buy great art, but you can park for free to shop for it. Looking for wifi? Taos would like to treat you at the public library (where you've parked for free anyway).

Stroll around the plaza (where you've already peed for free - NOT THAT tree - use the public restrooms down the beautiful "alley").

Talented buskers will serenade you while you buy (or don't). I'm a sucker for street performers. When forced to choose between buying a coffee and tipping a performer, I hesitate and feel remorse while adding my soy milk. Luckily, I don't have to choose yet.

A nut at the wheel
A peach to his right
A curve in the road
Fruit salad tonight

BurmaShave

I couldn't resist the jumbo bowl of fresh pineapple at Albertsons, even though I knew it would end in heartache and regret. This morning I did a major front-seat cleanup. I would do it all again.

Next to Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.

Did I or didn't I?

Eagle Nest and the area may be the most beautiful place I've ever seen. I tried to see it overnight, but no go there. A park ranger gave me tips for where to camp further into the dark, stormy mountains.

This is where I actually camped - BlackJack Tent Area (Cimarron Canyon)

My campsite along the Rio Grande was at 36.305442,-105.770558. Rio Bravo BLM Campground, up 570. It's just north of the Rio Grande Gorge Visitor's Center, and if you forget my directions, someone at the center will tell you where to find it.

If you have an interagency pass (and who DOESN'T??), you can tent camp for $3.50 and get water and electric for $7.50. Coin showers, shelters, hot water, flush toilets. Like you're back living with Mom.

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Taos, New Mexico - living in a Spud down by the river

 We are bathing in luxury in our current campground. Bathing in it. With soap.

I got Spud set up a little too early in the evening. Weather? We were bathing in it! Spud's hatch condom was up to the task. You heard me. Wind blew the rain in from every direction, but the innards stayed dry.

 Natural beauty? We're bathing in it. This is the Rio Grande before it gets south and we're forced to mock it.

Keep your shirt on and wait your turn. Now take your shirt off and wrap it around your eyes, because you're not going to want to see this.

I LOVE YOU TAOS!

I LOVE YOU, MOBY DICKENS!

Please, no more autogrrraphs.

Kit Carson home. Somebody fact-check this for me. And, who is Kit Carson?

I asked a local what one thing she would tell me to do, and she told me two. So, tomorrow I may do one or all of them.

I really liked my campsite, but I won't tell you why (shower) just yet. There are subtle things (dish sink) that make it nice, and I'll tell you more (hot water) another time. Little amenities (shelters) perk things up. I'll keep the backyard scenery (Rio Grande) to myself. I won't even tell you ($3.50) how much it costs me every night.

Extraordinary everyday life in Tucson

Before we left New York State and a good life we had gotten accustomed to, I imagined that once we hit the road, nothing would be ordinary again.

Maybe a Harris hawk nest?

But, things do get ordinary. We still have to put off doing laundry. It's important to grumble about washing dishes. Cats continue to place Craigslist personal ads while we sleep.

This one wild and precious life! Some days I'm awake enough to know none of this is ordinary. Not my life, and not yours.

I went out poking around in the desert.

You often see young saguaros thriving in the company of shrubs, usually mesquite and creosote.

They need the shade of these "nurses" to get their start. Then, like that wretched boy in The Giving Tree, the saguaro demands the ultimate sacrifice. 

The desert is harsh.

This bush was just lucky. Not so this cactus, who started being teased at the age of twelve.

Coyote? 

I've heard people say that the desert is desolate. The Sonoran Desert is anything but desolate. We love it here. The saguaros are always saying something ridiculous.

Cactus wren nest in "jumping" cholla

These cacti don't actually jump. They do separate easily from the mother bush and follow any warm body home. They weren't in the mood to separate this day, since I brushed up against one and am here to type the tale. If you get a baby stuck to you, don't grab it. Work a comb or a pen between your skin and the cactus bit and PULL. It will hurt, I'm pretty sure. If you grab it, it will hurt extra.

Cholla has-been. 

A Barrel of Fun!™

I think this indicates the land was once BLM land. Now? I don't know. There isn't any signage. Maybe that's why the cacti are always waving their arms. Hey you kids, get off my lawn!

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Tucson dispersed camping

There's an unexpected boondocking area in the Tucson area, and we're there. This is not our usual habitat; there is some road noise, and some air noise. We find it completely satisfactory, though. We have a tree for under-sitting. The site we chose is pretty level, and the area is convenient to places we want to be.  And, there's something relaxing about road noise when you expect road noise.

I'm gonna confess: it's a relief to be out of National Forests and back to BLM for a while. [BLM rangers, no "famous last words," please.] We haven't had any unpleasant NFS encounters at all; that's not what I'm saying. But, the arbitrary 300 foot rule that overrides obviously perfect campsites that are 400 feet from the road stinks. And, the miles and miles of ravine and completely inaccessible roadside that are labeled "permitted," followed by lovely, level, accessible sites that are off-limits can make me lose my religion. What religion? Exactly.

I just needed to work that past my crop.

NFS rangers say we can write to suggest recommissioning campsites we especially like. So far, in the Prescott region I find only snail mail addresses. They probably aren't funded enough to handle email traffic, so if you want to contribute you have to be willing to work a little harder at it.

The clouds of dust are made by weekend ATVers. It has been suggested that strict NFS rules were aimed at destructive off-road travel, but may impact RVers more.
These guys are on a permitted road, and this is Bureau of Land Management anyway.

I don't begrudge ATVers their fun. I'm having fun every day, and these folks mostly have to save their dust-kicking for weekends. It seems to me that most of them are staying on-road.

Sonoran face-off

This distance is pretty close in the boondocking world. We figured maybe he didn't feel like being alone that night. We've all been there. The gas stations have all closed down. We've stayed past last call, and we just can't bear to head back to the RV park. We just needed companionship. Don't judge him. At that hour, the Duck looked like a 10.

Also great to see again: saguaros. Love those pointing guys.

Saguaro you headed? 

That way.

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